Exhibitions

The wealth and power of ancient Iran was in part expressed in portable luxury objects fashioned from precious metals and decorated with royal imagery. From the establishment of the Achaemenid Empire in circa 550 BCE to the fall of the Sasanians.... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Red painted spirals swirl in distinct patterns across the surfaces of these vessels, testifying to the sophisticated material and aesthetic cultures of northeastern Thailand more than two thousand years ago. Their makers belonged to a loose .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History leads the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations with a bold, immersive exhibition exploring the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness features.... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Artificial lights have become such common nighttime fixtures that we take them for granted. But what do brighter nights mean for people and wildlife? The effects of light pollution go beyond our diminishing view of the stars, but the solutions .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Why We Serve honors the Native Americans who have served in the U.S. military, often in extraordinary numbers, since the American Revolution.

Water/Ways dives into water—an essential component of life on our planet, environmentally, culturally, and historically. In societies across the globe, water serves as a source of peace and contemplation.

The Negro Motorist Green Book was created for African American travelers in 1936 during a time when automobile travel symbolized freedom in America.

Sea Monsters Unearthed explores the period when Africa and South America—continents that once fit together like puzzle pieces—split apart and "sea monsters" like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs lurked in the newly formed waters of the South Atlantic Ocean.